This Friday we will be conducting the 12th Hot Seat Webinar, looking at innovative new Return to Work programs, and focusing primarily on Washington L&I’s new Vocational Recovery Project. The episode is titled, Building a Better Workers’ Comp Outcome Through Vocational Recovery. Guests will be Vickie Kennedy, Washington L&I Assistant Director for Insurance Services, Ryan Guppy,…
For First Responders and Workers' Comp, What is Normal?
A court decision in Arizona this week does more than potentially set a new precedent for First Responder benefits in that state; it also forces us to look at the expectations of the job, and what may be considered “normal” within the course and scope of employment. In 2017, a Gila County sheriff’s deputy was conducting a…
Tackling a Man with Meat in His Pants
Many retailers have strict policies when it comes to physical altercations with suspected shoplifters. These policies do not allow employees to physically restrain or otherwise prevent a suspected shoplifter from fleeing the premises. While this can be frustrating to people who would prefer to stop a theft in the process, these policies potentially prevent needless…
Surviving the Legislative Sieve
NCCI recently reported that they are monitoring more than 500 workers’ compensation bills being considered in state legislative bodies around the nation this year. On the surface, it would appear that it may be a year of tremendous change for the workers’ compensation industry. But will it? After all, those bills all have to survive the process…
Does Legalized Pot Reduce Workers' Comp Claims?
A study conducted by researchers at Temple University has produced some surprising statistics. It seems to suggest that “medical marijuana may lead to fewer workers’ compensation claims.” They found that: In states with laws allowing medical marijuana…. there was a nearly 7% decline in workers’ comp claims. When there were claims, they were for shorter…
Have Workplace Labeling Requirements Gone Too Far?
We know that safety in the workplace is an important topic. Over the years employers and workers have been inundated with requirements designed to help maintain a safe and healthy environment on the job. Many of the labels and procedures now in place are often blinding glimpses of the obvious; yet too many people ignore…
Redux: Workers' Recovery and The State of the Onion Address
This blog post was first published on February 1, 2018, following that year’s Presidential State of the Union Address. Much of it is still relevant, and since Bob’s post for today was inadvertently torn up by Nancy Pelosi, we have chosen to offer it again. __________________________________ Legislators, Regulators, Judges and Fellow Citizens of the Workers’…
As Colorado 911 Center Presumption Bill Advances, Dispatchers Nationwide Joining Ranks of First Responders
A bill we first discussed a few months ago appears to be advancing through the Colorado legislature that would grant workers’ compensation mental health benefits to Emergency Center Dispatchers. While the effort to include 911 dispatchers into the growing world of special protections for first responders is actually going on nationwide, Colorado seems to be one of the few…